Starting off at a fast pace this week with news from the Queensland Academy of Sport that a special program is being developed to help female athletes return to the track after childbirth.
Setting aside the pedantic fact that all sportspersons – male and female – practice their sport ‘after childbirth’ (or they wouldn’t be here!) the QAS is awarded full marks for directing its Sport Performance Innovation and Knowledge Excellence team to take on the task.
It may be a little obtuse, but the abbreviated title of the team is the acronym SPIKE, something all the returning athletes are sure to make use of as they gear up to burn up their tracks again.
Well done to all concerned!!
Over trailled
Great news from WA now that the top of the nationally significant Stirling Range National Park is finally back in business following recent damage during the New Years’ bushfires.
Offering magnificent 360 degree views from the Range’s summit, the Bluff Knoll is among the State’s most popular and visited attractions with contractors and staff from WA’s Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) working diligently over four months to repair the damage.
The only small aspect of the project yet to be amended according to PS-sssst! is its inaccurate and embarrassing name.
Known locally as the Bluff Knoll trail, the way up to the views is in fact a good old Australian track, and to PS-sssst! as a patriotic Aussie, that’s what it should be called.
Just as a ‘trail’ in Australia is something we leave behind, so a ‘track’ is something we use to get ahead.
With magical names like the Birdswood Track, Oodnadatta Track, Strzlecki Track and the ever-revered Kokoda Track which gallantly fought off a US attempt some years ago to hijack it as an irreverent ‘trail’.
‘Bluff Knoll Track’ even rolls off the Aussie tongue easier than trail and sounds better into the bargain!
Going to water
It might be a controversial energy plan in New South Wales but the Snowy Mountains Hydro project is nothing if not practical when working with highly qualified staff.
Inviting the public to comment on plans to change its water licence after a recent review, Snowy Hydro has anointed the Federal Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to collect the comments for it, in particular the Department’s acting Director of Water Planning Implementation.
And whose better hands to put the watery wonder in than an officer wisely named for the job.
The person to contact is Allan Raine!
If Allan can’t help, who can?
Interested commenters have until 16 June to shower Mr Raine with their wet or dry ideas at this PS News link.
Prize flight
Another week, another grand giveaway from the grand giveaway guru herself, Rama Gaind whose three prizes this week are DVD copies of the dramatic movie Safe Spaces starring Justin Long, TV’s The Nanny Fran Drescher and Richard Schiff.
To join Rama’s world of winners, all we needed do was name the scriptwriter of Safe Spaces and then have our entry wriggle out of the PS News Barrel of Booty among the first three.
The correct answer was Daniel Schechter and that was enough to make Carol C from Services Australia, Johnathon N from the Western Australian Department of Justice, and Jennifer D from the Australian Taxation Office the lucky new winners of a lovely new DVD.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to the many readers who took part in the fun. The DVDs will be on their way to the new owners very soon.
In the meantime, for another chance to chance your luck, check out Rama’s latest book offering at this PS News link and her other book giveaway at this link.
Good luck to all who do.
Archively speaking
And finally, a deep and potentially treasure-like word about PS News’s ultra-extensive Public Service archives vault.
Did you know that as readers of PS News we can delve back into the dim and dismal past of our Public Service at the tick of a button, resurrecting the stories of the past and finding out what was making the news in our necks of the services instantaneously and for free?
A genuine treasure chest of PS history, the PS News archives can be put to work at this PS News link where it will obediently dredge up the Australian Public Service’s past as far back as November 2005; the NSW PS to October 2006; the Victorian PS to November 2006; Queensland PS, November 2007; South Australia, November 2008 (until 2016); Western Australia, July 2009; and the Australian Capital Territory from July 2013.
With more than 4,500 PS stories to pick from, we’re almost sure to find what we’re looking for.
And as a famous commentator once said, if we don’t know our history, we’re doomed to repeat it.
Till next week…..
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